Academic Achievement and Gifted Underachievers PowerPoint. Explains the characteristics of a gifted underachiever, concerns about gifted underachievers, and how to help underachievers become successful. Suggestions for motivating students and famous underachievers. Helpful for gifted teachers who have students who are not motivated and who often have incomplete assignments. - HappyEdugator

Research and Expository Writing Formative Assessment. Multiple choice practice questions for state tests. Focused on the research process, expository and persuasive writing. Prepares students for standardized test questions. Questions are GPS standards based, but support common core standards as well. Standards are identified and correct answers are marked. Teacher and student copy included. Prepared for grade six, will work as review for 7th and 8th. - HappyEdugator

TEST PREP Reading and Language Arts Study Guide PowerPoint. 38 slide test prep presentation on standardized testing. What it is, what it measures, and includes sample questions with feedback for review and test taking strategies. This can be used to prepare for any state test, as you can modify or just skip the introductory slides and focus on the questions and answers. Designed for middle school, but may be used with upper elementary students as well. Supports common core. - HappyEdugator

Biography Research Project using We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel. Students choose from people in the lyrics to research and then write a biography. Includes instructions for the teacher with a link to the video on teachertube, lyrics, handout on late 20th century peacemakers or controversial figures, assignment handout and rubric. This really got my students using the writing process, research skills, and writing without plagiarism. I was very happy with the results I got this year from my average students! They were very motivated. - HappyEdugator

St. Patrick's Day bookmarks. 6 different St. Patrick's bookmarks with pots of gold, green shamrocks, rainbows, and leprechauns that you can print out, laminate, and pass out to your students. March is a great month for spring book fever. Leprechauns remind students of the value of reading. Encourage your students to appreciate the value of books and treat them as treasure. Happiness is having a good book to read. Happy St. Patrick's Day! - HappyEdugator

Source Cards-Information Required Handout with Practice Activity. Help students organize notes and write bibliography in MLA format. This handout will help students identify what information they will need to put on their source cards when they take notes for a research paper and use to write a bibliography using MLA format. This is an important step in the research process. This will help make sure their bibliography is clear and correct. In simple terms, it lays out what is necessary to record for books, encyclopedias, magazines, newspapers, and websites. Students can put it in their binder and use it as a handy reference for when they take research notes. The last page is a practice activity they can use to correctly make source cards. - HappyEdugator

February Famous Author Birthdays PowerPoint. To engage your readers and inspire your writers, show them the slides on these famous authors who had birthdays in February such as Langston Hughes, Jerry Spinelli, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Charles Dickens, to name a few. Each slide tells a little about the classic author and their most famous works. This winter, engage them in reading and writing! Have them choose from three writing assignments about these authors and their works on the last slide. - HappyEdugator

Reading Test Prep. Reading comprehension practice using an excerpt from the short story The Corrector of Destinies by Edward Wellen. Includes excerpt of story, vocabulary fill-in the blank activity, graphic organizer for story elements, and 12 multiple choice questions about the story setting, characters, plot, author's purpose, theme, and figurative language. Questions support standards tested on standardized tests. Supports the rigor required of common core. Can be done independently or as guided practice. Good for a substitute activity as well. Key included. Grades 7 - 12. - HappyEdugator

Spelling: Ex-Spelled Spelling GAME. This is a fun way to review a list of spelling or vocabulary words, or to use as an activity for a substitute teacher. Students have to spell words correctly or they have to sit down. Who will be the last one standing? The catch...each student only gives one letter! At the end of a word, the next student gets ex-spelled! Yikes! A fun word list is included to get things started. Supports Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.2d Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.2e Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.2b Spell correctly. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.2b Spell correctly. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.2c Spell correctly.

Smartboard Create a Story. Spin a Story. This Smartboard activity helps students write a short story. This story idea generator works when students click on the spinners to generate story elements. Who What Where and When...Character, Plot, and Setting. Will create thousands of variations. Great for differentiation. Can be used to generate a whole class writing assignment or use for student journals. Graphic organizer for adding details included, which can be printed or projected on the whiteboard. When all the story elements have been generated, students write a story by adding their own details. - HappyEdugator

Joe DiMaggio - The Yankee Clipper PowerPoint. A Baseball Legend. This is a short biography of the famous Joe DiMaggio. Students will learn about this American baseball hero, who set a major league record of a 56 game hitting streak in 1941 that still stands today. Use it with books such as Becoming Joe DiMaggio by Maria Testa or Joe DiMaggio by Herb Dunn. Goes well with a baseball unit or theme. - HappyEdugator

Margaret Thatcher - The Iron Lady PowerPoint. A biography of some of the highlights of the life of Margaret Thatcher, her childhood, her schooling, her rise to leadership, and her accomplishments as the first woman to become British Prime Minister, her family, her friendship with Ronald Reagan, the Falklands War, and famous quotes. Good for Women's History Month. 27 slides. Print out the slides with quotes to also make nice posters for your room! - HappyEdugator

Word Families PowerPoint. 77 slides on this Literacy PowerPoint! Introduce word families. Print out as signs for literacy centers, make into reading phonics flashcards by printing out on index cards, or show on the projector to use when introducing a word family. Each slide has the word family as the title, an example of a word in that family, and a picture to represent it. Multiple uses...you can use these signs as word wall titles, for word sorting, reading practice flash cards, etc. Enjoy! - HappyEdugator

Reading Graphic Organizer - I Saw...I Thought. Students can use this organizer when reading fiction or nonfiction text. In the first column, they should write evidence, quotes from the text, headings, subheadings, etc. that would be important to remember. In the second column students should write what they thought or understood as they read. This could include questions, predictions, vocabulary in context, etc. Graphic organizer can help students organize their thoughts to write a reading response. Younger students can draw pictures related to the text as well. - HappyEdugator

Fun Math Terms Word Search. Math terms are hidden in this word search puzzle made for upper elementary and middle grades. Have fun trying to find them all 21! Terms are hidden forwards, backwards, up and down, across, and diagonally. Key included. Also includes a bonus list of the terms with their definitions which you can use as a study guide for state testing or test prep. - HappyEdugator

Georgia on My Mind - Symbols of Georgia PowerPoint. Slides introduce the symbols of Georgia...from the mountains to the coast, the city of Atlanta, the professional sports teams, and interesting facts along the way about the state flower, state flag, state seal, state bird, etc. Students will learn through photos and pictures all about Georgia state symbols and have fun. Includes a link to video of Ray Charles playing Georgia on my Mind.

End of the Year I Am Poem - Make a Poet T Craftivity. Fun end of the year activity, beginning of the year activity, or any time you study poetry. PowerPoint on how to make an I AM poem and transfer it onto a t-shirt. 11 slides will walk you and your students through the whole process. Format for writing a metaphor I AM poem, and a format for writing another I AM poem included. Literature connection - metaphor poem example from All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury. Students can use formats or create their own. Creative and fun! Students will love to wear their shirts. - HappyEdugator

Cat on the Go - by James Herriot Vocabulary Test. A short vocabulary test for the reading selection Cat on the Go by James Herriot, which is an excerpt from the book All Creatures Great and Small. The first part is a matching section, and the second part is a fill-in from the word bank. A Key is included. The test has two copies per letter size page for ease of copying. Our class read the selection, and watched the movie All Creatures Great and Small, and discussed differences between British English and American English, accents and dialects. - HappyEdugator

Characterization Handout - Making Characters Memorable. Helps students with characterization in their narrative writing. It outlines what good writers should consider in order to introduce characters and bring them to life. What do readers want to see in a character? Is the story plot driven or character driven? What are the internal and external character traits? Who is the antagonist and protagonist? Are both vital to the story? What are the conflicts, internal and external? Have students use this handout as a guide when creating a character sketch or in reading to evaluate how an author uses characterization. Includes a sheet for students to use to brainstorm internal and external character attributes for a character they want to create.

Science Fair Research Paper. How to write a research paper for a science fair. Guidelines for students to write a paper to go with their science fair project includes a steps to success graphic organizer, components of a science research paper, drafting pages, notecard templates, grading rubric, student checklists. I have also added a lesson plan outline for 4 weeks with Essential Questions (for the ELA teacher who may be collaborating with the Science teacher on this project) - HappyEdugator